Journey into the Dark Woods
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: When John Cena turned 18, he and his friends ventured into the Dark Woods asylum. Unfortunately, John soon got caught between the demented inmates of the asylum, a boy known as Randy, and a mysterious secret that has haunted the mysterous building.
1. Welcome to the Dark Woods!

_Welcome to my new story!_

_This one was inspired by a Vocaloid song known as "Dark Wood Circus" (in case you don't know what Vocaloid is, it's a voice synthesizer program with different voices to suit your needs. Each song created has awesome videos and great meanings—plus subtitles since all the songs are in Japanese). I can't explain what this one is about, so look on line to watch this video (just type Vocaloid Dark Wood Circus in the search engine)_

_But enough of the technical stuff, let's start this story._

_Disclaimer: Wish I owned these characters, because if I did, I'd have lots of slash type story lines for everyone to see!_

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**Journey into the Dark Woods**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 1-Welcome to the Dark Woods!**

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_**Oh, you're here! Welcome!**_

_**Tonight, you will see the sad fate that many people of the world carry.**_

_**Children that God has abandoned, who relentlessly wander in the dark...**_

_**Children, who can't even carry the trembling hands that they were given...**_

_**Their tongues accidentally cry out in pain and sorrow...**_

_**Their crowns of their heads that embrace the dark clouds...**_

_**They smile as they see their mother's embrace...**_

_**Oh, the deformity. The deformity! DEFORMITY!**_

_**Come and see them...**_

_**Come and see them in the Dark Woods...**_

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Those were the words that was plastered on the faded poster John Cena gripped in his hands. The small village of Asmodes, with its grey sky and all, greeted him like it did every day. The trotting of horses on the cobblestones rang in his ears as he looked at the images that followed the text.

A two headed boy...a woman who was like a centaur...boys that were ten feet tall...a cannibal who was chained and loved to eat fresh meat...

He hated it. He hated that they were being treated like freaks...but at the same time, he couldn't help but laugh at their disgusted state when they were trapped in the barred rooms they were in. How they were mocked at and tortured for being 'different'...he couldn't help but not feel a bit sorry for them. Why would he want to be associated with freaks anyway? It just didn't seem...normal...

"Hey!" John looked up to see his best friends John Morrison running up to him. "Are you excited? We actually get to see those freaks!"

John smiled a bit. "Yeah..." He replied. "I can't believe I turned eighteen this year...that means I don't have a curfew anymore..."

"This is going to be awesome!" Morrison grinned. "I wonder what would happen if we try to feed that monster an arm or a leg?"

"Beats me." Cena replied. "As long as we keep all ten fingers and toes, then who cares." The two laughed at their little joke amongst the crowd of people at the market place. The smell of fresh bread and of the other treats in the stalls made their mouths water.

"We have a few hours before we meet up with everyone else," Morrison replied. "Why not have something to eat?"

Cena smiled as he pulled out a few coins out of his money pouch.

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It was around 8 PM when five boys made it to the road that led to the Dark Woods. The wind moaned against the dead trees, the branches swaying in the wind as the midnight sky greeted them as they walked against the fallen leaves and dirt. Feet crunching against the soggy leaves and squishing against the mud, owls hooted and crows cawed...it set the state for a horrifying night.

Adam and Christian were already waiting for the group in front of the asylum. Despite being twins, the two boys were different: Adam was more serious, wearing a black leather jacket and a big grin on his face and a sun necklace around his neck. Christian was very shy, contrast to his older brother and was wearing a white blouse and black pants to keep him self warm from the cold wind. Both of them had matching black and white scarves to cover their necks, and black mittens to warm their hands. Adam had a paper bag on his lap, and was munching on a carrot while they were waiting.

John Cena—along with Morrison, Mike Mizanin, Chris Jericho and Phil Brooks—were walking through the clearing when he saw the two twins waiting for them amongst the stone walls. Green moss and long vines of ivy decorated the aging walls as Adam and Christian came to greet them.

"Finally!" Adam replied. "We were getting worried that you wouldn't make it."

"Happy birthday, John!" Christian replied as the two gave high-fives. "How's it feel to be an adult?"

"Relieved." Cena replied. "Now we can finally go to the asylum."

"Let me at the food first, I'm starving!" Jericho replied grabbing Adam's bag of food. "Your mom is an awesome cook!"

"I wonder who we get to see first?" Mike mused, the images of the poster coming into his mind. "They must look so ugly and freakishly disgusting."

"Well, there hasn't been anyone in the asylum for a long time though." Phil replied, trying to stare at the poster in the moonlight. "This poster was made around 50 years ago...in 1825. I seriously doubt that there will be anyone still in that place...right?"

There was some silence for a couple of minutes, the thought of seeing grotesque faces and other things crawled into their mind. Zombies, rotting faces, corpses, harsh laughter...these ideas were painted into their minds as the black gate beckoned them to enter.

"It's just an old poster." Cena said, breaking the silence. "It shouldn't totally ruin our night."

"Come on, guys." Morrison replied as he grabbed onto a vine of ivy. "Let's jump over the walls and see the asylum...if we just stand here, we won't be seeing anything." He slowly used his feet to climb to the top of the wall, the rest of group following his lead. Falling down onto the dry road, they soon saw a better look of the building.

Three stories high, dead ivy hung against unlit windows...shingles falling off the roof. The yard had yellow faded grass and a small well for water. A dead tree had a swing swinging softly in the wind...causing everyone to have chills in their spine.

That...and the sudden crunching of leaves.

"Someone help me!" A voice cried out, causing everyone to scream. A dark shadow was walking toward them...standing at around ten feet tall, its long arms stretching out toward them...the seven boys continued to scream...some holding onto the others as they felt their lives flashing through their eyes....

Underneath the moonlight, the figure was shown...a boy with purple hair in a messy bun, tiger stripes adorned his cheeks, while white makeup covered his face. Armbands with holes were covered around his arms and he also wore a black shirt and a long pair of pants that covered his scarecrow legs. He stopped when he saw the terrified teenagers, and their horrified screams. Hearing them, the person began to cry...tears falling down onto the dry ground.

"I'm sorry...." He cried out. "I didn't mean to frighten you...honest! Please stop crying...you're going to make me cry..." As he cried, the screams stopped...all of the boys looked up and saw the boy crying, and covering his face with his eyes.

"Who are you?" Jericho asked the boy. "Are you a resident of the asylum? And if you are, are you a former one or a present one?"

"My name is Jeff..." The boy replied. "And I've been in the asylum since I was 9....that was in 1823. What year is it?"

"Wait a minute...you can't be 9 right now..." Phil gasped out. "It's 1873...you would be 59 right now."

"Really?" Jeff replied, cocking his head to the side. "That's....strange..." There was some silence before he continued speaking. "Wanna see my big brother? His name is Matt!"

"I'm coming Jeff! You don't have to yell!" The seven teenagers turned to see another giant come up to them...this one had long black hair, grey eyes and wore black pants and faded shorts. He stared at the group with some fear before masking it with a smile.

"Hi there, I'm Matt. Welcome to our home...we're glad you can make it. It's a fun place..full of many happy faces that want to say 'hello'." Matt introduced. "Come on...we'll take you inside."

Matt slipped his hand into Jeff's as the brothers motioned the seven to follow...the rest were getting nervous though.

"They seem...scared." Cena said to himself. "It's as if...they have no choice to stay here...."

"And Jeff should be an old man by now." Morrison added. "Matt should be also...."

"Maybe the clue is in the poster." Phil replied bringing his out. "Huh?" He said looking at it...the happy faces of the people in the poster had changed...their snarling faces and grotesque forms covered the faded paper. "Guys...is this a joke?"

Jericho and Mike pulled out their posters...but the results were the same.

"This doesn't look good...." Jericho gulped out before turning to Adam and Christian. "Adam...Christian...what's going on?"

Adam and Christian stopped walking, and so did the tall brothers. Adam and Christian slowly turned their heads, revealing empty eye sockets and maniacal grins. Laughter escaped from their lips as blood fell down their eyes and mouth. They removed their mittens...revealing stitched-up fingers to the two. Pulling onto their scarves....they fluttered into the air when there was more to be revealed...stitches were around their necks, as if they had been beheaded and were sewn up again.

"There's a story we once heard." Adam replied. "It's called the Green Ribbon. A boy met a beautiful girl in kindergarten...what was interesting about her was the green ribbon that was tied around her neck. So he asked her, 'What is the secret about that ribbon?'. She replied that he'd tell her when they got older."

Matt and Jeff brought out chains from the tall grass handing them to Adam and Christian who were slowly walking up to their friends. The other five boys were slowly backing away, trying their hardest not to get near them.

"Then, the two grew up and went to high school together." Christian continued. "The boy asked that very same question once more, and the girl replied, 'I'll tell you when we get married.'"

Cena looked to see the gate getting closer and closer...and vines of ivy from the walls wrapping against his arms and legs...turning his head to the right, he saw the rest of his friends also being captured by the ivy as the four inmates of the asylum stopped walking....the looks in their eyes were branded into Cena's mind...he knew he was going to die soon.

"The boy and girl got married many years later." Jeff piped it, his makeup made him more like an evil clown than a sweet boy. "It was then the boy asked for a third time why his beloved wife had that green ribbon around her neck. She replied that she'd tell him when she was on her death bed."

"And finally, she was on it." Matt finished. "In a fading voice she asked her husband, 'Do you want to know what is so important about this green ribbon?' The man nodded and helped remove the ribbon...and when that ribbon was no longer on her neck...the head rolled to the side...and she died."

"Look at you all." Adam giggled insanely. "You're all going to have beautiful green ribbons tied around your necks...isn't that so lovely?"

"Just like that little girl." Christian laughed. "Now...let us tie those ribbons around your necks, and make you wonderful dolls...."

"I don't want to die!" Mike cried out as laughter rang into the still night sky. "Let us go you freaks!"

"Freaks you say?" Jeff said in a maniacal voice. "We've been here for so long, we wanted company...we wanted people to love us...they abandoned us, they ridiculed us...they made us become this...but you'll all see...you'll see..."

"Not so fast Jeff." Matt said, interrupting his brother. "Remove the ivy around their necks..." Adam snarled and waved a hand, the vines loosened their grip as the five slumped to the floor.

"I'm not like this anymore." Jericho cried, hugging Phil. "They're going to kill us!"

"What did we do to deserve this?!" Morrison said as he grabbed onto Cena. Cena just shrugged his shoulders.

"Mattie's right." Christian replied in an insane tone. "We forgot our manners...Let us take you all into the Dark Woods Circus, so that you can meet up with our friends and family...yes...we are a circus..." He giggled in an insane matter as the chains in his hands wrapped around the wrists of the victims. Matt and Jeff reached for the links tugging the group toward the entrance. It was then that the five saw the foreboding building in the darkness...and all of the thoughts and images that were in their mind from that poster were about to become a reality.

"Welcome to the Dark Woods." Adam snickered as he opened the door into the abandoned asylum.

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_**XD!**_

_**I am an evil girl right now. I hope this satiates everyone's appetite for more horror...because this is going to e one long ride!**_

_**(laughs evilly)**_


	2. Freaks of the Show

_**All right, let's get the second chapter going! Sorry for delays, but due to homework and a video project, I've been behind. Also, I've been cooking dinner for my family for the past few days...**_

_**So, let's start!**_

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**Journey Into the Dark Woods**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 2-The Freaks of the Show**

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"You're going to love it." Christian repeated for the fifth time as he placed John upon the third floor. "The older demons and monsters will be the first to gnaw on your bones, and take your sanity away, until you're nothing more than a shell for us to make a mold out of."

"You're sick!" John snapped back. "You took my friends to the four freaks in the second story! And we trusted you and your brother! Why did you have to betray us?!"

"You're not the first boys to ask that, and certainly not the last." Christian giggled, his empty eye sockets staring into John's blue orbs. "Thirty ago, these three 'Amigos' known as Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit met up with us. They actually tried to fight back, those powerful souls...they even escaped with their sanity intact...well, most of it anyway...I suspect that they're still their 'same' old selves."

"Wait a minute..." John gasped out. "Oscar, Edward, Christopher...Those guys were the legendary Three Amigos?! But they're supposed to be old men by now, not teenagers! And if you were around back then, why are you still sixteen?!"

"It's the asylum, I suppose." Christian murmured. "It's been here since the 1790's, and that poster was the last one that the owners created before it fell apart. Most of the older inmates have already died; my brother and those Hardys are the survivors of the old era, but the six other inmates are in the new members club..." He giggled as a sick grin came on his face. "Of course, those three Amigos don't need to be in the asylum as

"But why do you need us?!" John screamed. "Why are you trying to harm us?!"

"Because." Christian replied. "Just because..." He then dropped John off in one of the empty cells. It was pretty empty, give or take the skull of one of the inmates laying at the corner of the darkened room, but from what John was able to see, it had a nice view of the moon, and a couple of cracks growing onto the wall like vines.

"After the inmates have some fun with your friends, you're next." Christian replied in a sweet tone before he walked away. "And by the way, I'm a sadist...." He said that while bringing out a small dagger kept in his pocket. With a couple of quick swipes, he sliced his right wrist a couple of times, licking the blood that fell down. John was completely shocked when he saw the cut slowly disappear, until there was nothing but flesh once more.

"That's the thing about this place." Christian giggled. "Anyone who was treated here have their wounds healed, but if we stay out too long, the effects wear out...too bad you're not an original inmate; if you were you wouldn't be killed in a couple of minutes." He laughed as he walked off, his echo filtered against the walls as if it was a chorus of giggles and chortles. When Christian was gone, John tried to remove the chains off his wrists. It was no use, even with all of strength, the links were bound against his wrists. There was no way out.

"You can't escape this place." A voice replied to John close by. "But it's fun here, isn't it Phylegyas?" John didn't hear someone known as "Phylegyas" talk back, so that got him really freaked out. That was when he noticed something...aside from the chains on his wrists, there was nothing else that was trapping John in the asylum....taking a deep breath, he came to realize that his own fear was causing him to panic, and possibly cause the others to panic.

Standing up, John soon looked to his right, seeing another cell with a young boy in it. From what he could see in the moonlight when he came to it, he was around five years old, well fed, had a happy grin on his face. "Hi." The boy replied.

"Um, hi." John replied. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Randy Orton." The boy replied. "I've been here for the past ten years...that means I've been here since 1863. Who are you?"

"John Cena." John replied. "But why have you been here since 1863? The asylum was shut down fifty years ago, so you shouldn't be here."

Randy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but mommy and daddy said I was going to make friends here, they said I was going to learn so many new things! And I have Phylegyas to protect me from the monsters here...isn't that right?" Randy turned to his right, but John saw nothing except air....who was this 'Phylegyas' the boy was talking about?

"Um, Randy." John replied. "Is Phylegyas a ghost?"

"No silly." Randy giggled. "He's my best friend! Say hi!" John was still a bit perplexed, but decided to play along, trying to wave his hand, but immediately remembered that his wrists were bound.

"Um," John replied. "Can you help me with these chains? I can't wave hello to Phylegyas unless my hands are free."

"Sure!" Randy replied before 'turning' to Phylegyas. "Can you help him out?" John stared in confusion, until he noticed the chains falling down his wrists, and he was free. It was then that Randy started to yawn.

"I'm tired." The young boy replied. "It's time for a nap." His eyes closed, and he put his knees to his chest, beginning to snore. John stared at the small boy...he was very peaceful and sweet. Ignoring the fear and wicked shadows in the asylum, John went and hugged the young boy, his skin shivering at how cold he was.

"Poor little guy." John murmured. "He's been stuck so long in this asylum, thinking it was a play ground...he has to escape and grow up like a normal child." It was then that John slowly carried him on his back, the small legs wrapped around the muscular torso, and young Randy was sucking his thumb cutely.

"But mama," Randy said in his sleep suddenly. "I don't wanna go to the scary house...I won't be able to see you again." John gasped suddenly, hearing the boy speak. Was this young boy trying to hide his guilt by making him sound happy? It didn't make sense...

"Mama, mama!" Randy cried, his eyes completely shut. "Don't make the monsters go near me! Please mama...Mama!" John soon set Randy down against the floor, trying to make sure if he was okay. Feeling his forehead, John found that the young boy was developing a fever. The boy was whimpering, tears fell from his eyes as he was writhing and squirming all over the floor.

That's when the boy opened his eyes, and the crying stopped. Randy then sat up, wrapping his arms against his chest, his eyes a dark crimson.

"Randy?" John replied when the boy didn't speak. "Are you okay?" Randy stared at John, a small scowl replaced the sweet smile on his face.

"So," Randy replied, in a voice unlike his own. "You're our next victim...you're more interesting then the others...you don't run away, and you stay and help us out...."

"Your next victim?" John asked. "You mean...you aren't trapped by your free will?"

"No, we're trapped." Randy replied, his appearance changing...he was now wearing a black cloak with a high collar and a silver chain was wrapped against his neck. Both hands were covered by gloves with a silver cross sewn on to them while a wicked staff was gripped in his hands.

"I am Phylegyas, Randy's 'imaginary friend'." The young boy replied. "I share his body, only using it whenever he falls asleep..I've been with him for the past ten years. In all actuality, I am a keeper of Hell, that is sent to purify the souls of darkness...a demon. But even then, I am sent here to figure out what is going on with the asylum, and why there are evil forces surging through it."

"So...you _are_ real..." John gasped out. "But why are you here? If you're a demon, then you could've left anytime you wanted."

"You didn't hear what Christian said, didn't you?" Phylegyas muttered. "An inmate of this asylum can't leave...if they do...well..." He motioned John to follow him back to the cell. When they were inside, Phylegyas pointed to the window. John walked to it and looked down, seeing dead grass of what looked to be a garden, and amongst the long blades were human arms sticking out like flowers.

"A Garden of hands." Phylegyas murmured. "Every inmate who had tried to escape the sad fate of the asylum has died...all of us drag it back to the grounds and cut off their right arms to plant. The rest of the body disintegrates but this right hand tells that they live on. It is a way to count how many people who have lived here long before...."

"That's disgusting..." John Cena whispered. "But what about the people that become victims?"

"Then the inmates preserve them underground." Phylegyas replied. "The last I heard, there was 108 arms that were wielding torches."

Then a scream pierced into the air. "Well, after this there'll be 113." Phylegyas finished.

"No there won't." Cena replied as he grabbed Phylegyas's wrist. "You're coming with me to save my friends. Got that?"

"Fine." Phylegyas replied. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

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John Morrison and Mike Mizanin were huddling in fear at what they were seeing...a human with two heads. But that wasn't the bad part...the body was made out of two boys—one boy was dark skinned with black hair, the other light skinned with blonde hair. From what was shown, the outfit covered their chest, half of it being white, the other black with gloves and boots to match. Both heads had a teardrop mark under their right eyes—black and white respectively—and sick grins were on their faces.

"Well, well, Paul." The blonde half of the Siamese boy explained. "Isn't this a quaint surprise, who shall we go after first?"

"Don't know, Brian." Paul answered the other head. "Maybe we shall make them like us...I still have the saw from the last victims."

"And I still have the noose." Brian giggled. "This is going to be fun."

"Someone save us!" Morrison screamed as Brian and Paul started to laugh. The look of the rusty teeth of the saw made it even more horrifying, and the thoughts of that thing sawing through his body scared him.

"What do you want with us?!" Mike asked as the inmate of the asylum got closer and closer. "Why do you need to kill us?!"

Paul and Brian stopped in their tracks, crossing 'their' arms against 'their' chest. A look of anger covered their faces at the question.

"Why do we need to kill you?" Brian whispered. "That's like saying 'Why do you all mock us?! And our answer is..."

"Because we can!" Paul finished. "All of you who mocked us, who never gave us pity, who shunned us in the asylum...look what it's caused! Now you'll pay!"

"Don't!" Morrison and Mike turned to see Cena and another boy come toward them. John stood between the Siamese boy and his best friends.

"Just calm down, and we won't have arms being chopped up." said Cena. "If we all act with reason then there's hope..."

"These people don't have any reason except killing." Phylegyas replied cynically. "Talking to them is like talking rocks, it doesn't go through them."

"And who let you out?" Brian snapped at Phylegyas. "Didn't we tell you to stay in your room in the third floor?"

"Not the point!" Cena replied. "Look...um..."

"The white one's Paul, the black one's Brian." Phylegyas said, pointing to the two halves of the person.

"Thank you." Cena replied. "Now..." John turned to Paul and Brian. "Kill me instead, just let my friends live...please?"

"Hmmm...." said Paul, rubbing his chin. "Kill one but leave two behind...."

"And he's so willing..." Brian added. "All right...the two can go, but you shall stay." Morrison and Mike immediately found the chains binding their wrists falling onto the floor.

"Leave." Paul and Brian commanded as Morrison and Mike nodded their heads. They immediately ran out of the building, leaving John alone in the area.

"Now...where were we?" John gulped as the saws' teeth was near his shoulder...just as the sawing motion was about to start, the Siamese boy was pushed back by some forcefield.

"What the--?!" Paul and Brian gasped out. Phylegyas walked up, placing a hand on Cena's chest...a black mark of a spider's web started to grow and cover John's body, until it looked like he was wearing a suit.

"This boy is deemed worthy of the asylum's protection." Phylegyas stated. "Unlike us, he is free to travel to the town and into the asylum..._**She**_ is making sure that he is protected."

"I'm what..." John asked in shock...the spider web disappeared until the original skin was revealed. "Does this mean that I'm...'bound' to the asylum?"

"In a sense, you are." Phylegyas replied, nodding his head. "Though this is strange...usually someone 'chosen' to stay at the asylum gets the mark, but a normal human like yourself..."

"Normal..." Paul scoffed. "He's so 'normal'..."

"Look," John replied to Paul and Brian. "I hate the cruel treatment that you have to go through, but that doesn't mean you have to shun me...I want to help end your suffering...so please..."

"Well..." Brian was about to say when the sound of wailing filled the air. "Oh shit...Ashley's singing again..."

Then the sounds of growling, like some animal...echoed across the room.

"And that's Gangrel." Paul finished. "So...what now?"

"You two calm Ashley." Phylegyas commanded the Siamese boy. "We're going to meet up with Gangrel...looks like he's found something to eat."

"The sack!" Cena gasped out. "Chris was hungry and he was still holding onto Adan's bag of food when we go to the asylum! Then that means..."

Phylegyas grabbed onto John's wrist. "Let's go, before there won't be an arm to place upon the underground tunnels."

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Chris Jericho gulped when he saw the Gangrel scarfing down the food in that measly cloth sack. Blonde hair that fell down the crazy face...grey eyes dancing with madness and pointed fangs against the pale lips. His arms were bound by belts in a straight jacket so the person had to lunge toward the food...

"Y-you're not going to eat me, are you?" Chris gulped as the man stared at him. A sick grin appeared on the "cannibal's" face, red liquid fell down against the sides of his mouth and onto the floor.

"That's the same thing that little girl—Amy, was it—told me forty years ago." Gangrel whispered. "Of course I wouldn't eat her...but she gave me some candy and I was satisfied...that didn't stop the others from attacking me...I haven't eaten in so long though...and yet I'm stuck here just because I was protecting my love..."

"That's...sad." Chris Jericho replied hearing the story. "What happened?"

"...I ate her." Jericho gasped as he slowly walked away. "She died...and if I buried her, then we would be separated...I was afraid in eating her, but I had no choice...I ate her...her face, her skin, her heart, her liver, her stomach..." As he continued to ramble on, Jericho felt like hurling, feeling the bile come up his esophagus and almost escaping his mouth.

"But when they found me eating her, they sent me away." Gangrel replied sadly. "And they strapped me here so I couldn't eat...but I don't mind...as long as I have Luna, then that's okay.."

"Luna, huh?" asked Jericho. "That's a pretty name."

"She's inside me..." Gangrel repeated. "My Luna is inside me...." He laughed softly, then it pelted into a crescendo while Jericho trembled in fear like a small kitten....the laughter continued for sometime...until Jericho heard a harsh slap.

He soon saw John in front of the cannibal, from the pale moonlight...Jericho swore he saw a black cape that looked like it was made out of cobwebs...

"That's enough of this foolishness." said Cena. "If you aren't going to eat your victim, why are you keeping him here?"

"Do you know how long it has been since I've had company?" Gangrel asked John. "So long...I was shunned when they found out that I was a 'cannibal'...Luna was the only one I ate...I couldn't lose her..."

"I guess I can understand...." Cena replied. "If I lost someone I loved, I'd probably die..."

"Um, what's going on?!" Jericho cried.

"Well, let's just say that I'm an inmate of the asylum now." John explained. "You should get going...before those brothers come in."

"Nah, they wouldn't hurt anyone." Phylegyas replied. "They were the ones who showed the asylum to all the people that went inside, so those tactics are just ways to say 'Hi.' They mean you no harm...they're actually more tame then some of the former inmates all the way down to their sense of humor."

"Then why was I sent to the cannibal?!" Jericho exclaimed. "Was it because I looked good enough to eat?"

Phylegyas rolled is eyes. "No, it was because you were holding that bag of food...and it was most likely the very reason you're here."

"Ohh..." Jericho replied nodding his head. "Does this mean I can go?"

"Of course." Phylegyas said in approval. "After all, nothing ever goes wrong in the asylum."

"It must've been my imagination." Jericho replied as the chains fell down his wrists. "Well, have to go. Bye, John!"

As Jericho walked away, the three stared at the empty hallway in silence.

"Nothing ever goes wrong in the asylum." said Gangrel, repeating Phlegyas's words. "Yeah right."

"They do not deserve to know." Phylegyas whispered. "While we act like happy fools in front of the whole town of Asmodes, we are all prisoners in this asylum...until we can figure out what has happened to us, then we continue to exist..."

"But that doesn't make sense..." Cena replied. "What about the inmates in the garden? All of them...they were tortured, and yet they still had the will to continue...why can't you all be free?"

"Because it's impossible." Gangrel explained. "We're all branded...if we are not within the area of the asylum for one whole day, then we wither up...and even if we did, the marks that we were given will disintegrate, and replaced with a death mark."

"It's not fair!" Cena replied. "You shouldn't be treated like this...you're all human! No matter what you look like, no matter what you do...no matter who you are, you're still human! And I...." He looked at the two and then stared at his hands....human hands, and yet some pair of hands locked these people away...they didn't deserve it at all...

"I promise that I'll do my best to protect everyone of you...and let no more suffering be allowed in the asylum again." John stated, crossing his heart. "Cross my heart, and hope to die...stick a needle in my eye..."

"You'd do that for us?" Phylegyas said with some shock. The shock was replaced with a sincere smile. "Thank you...not many people in this realm will have the gall to do something like that."

"Hooray!" John turned to feel Jeff's arms wrap around him. He looked up to see the Hardy brothers crouching down and smiling at him...as if he had done something good.

"Well...finally." John turned to see Adam and Christian walk up, both of them wrapped in their mittens and scarves. "Someone's come to help us."

John smiled a bit seeing the faces of the inmates of the asylum...but it got ruined with the sound of a scream.

"Oh yeah." Cena replied. "I forgot about Phil..."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

John left the asylum, carrying an unconscious Phil on his back. He turned and waved to the inmates of the asylum before he disappeared from their view. The inmates, staring through the second story window then turned to Phylegyas who was sitting on the floor.

"So Christian, that lie about those Three Amigos..." He started off.

"They're not cursed and loony." Christian replied rolling his eyes. "They're named after their great-grandfathers who shared the same names..."

"And the singing, Ashley?" Phylegyas asked, staring at the only female resident. Her blonde hair had a black and red streak, her torso had a black corset on her, and the rest of her body—which hid her centaur-like legs—was covered by a giant white hoop skirt. She was even wearing a blindfold around her eyes and one horn was stuck onto her head.

"Sorry...but I've never had an audience." Ashley replied, bowing her head.

"We're all out of touch, Phyl." Adam explained. "50 years....no inmate has survived that long..."

"And here we all are." Matt murmured. "With only one person who could save us...I hope."

"There must be hope before a miracle can occur." Phylegyas affirmed. "Or else all will be lost..and we'll be like the ones before us..."

He lead everyone to one of the windows leading to the garden...all of them gulped at the sight of the arms that swayed against the night breeze. They looked as if they were flesh like flowers that bloomed in the evening sky...a symbol of what type of torment the asylum's inmates went through..."

"Nothing but dust, swaying through everyone's open arms..." Phylegyas ended before closing his eyes. "Nothing...but dust..."

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_**Okay, this doesn't make sense as of yet...but don't worry, it will eventually.**_

_**So please, have a happy Halloween, brush your teeth after having sweets, and make sure to keep an eye out for demons!**_

_**Happy Halloween!**_


	3. The Night of the Show

_**Sorry for the delay once more...but juggling storylines for 8-9 different stories is not easy (how my friends do that, I'll never know.) I hope this makes up for all the stuff you had to go through for this chapter.**_

_**Well, off we go to a new chapter in a new year!**_

* * *

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**Journey into the Dark Woods**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 3-The Night of the Show**

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John woke up the next morning with a jolt. The memories of his encounter with the inmates of the Asylum, and how he promised to protect them were replaying in his mind. He could hardly believe what he had said....but he knew that it was so cruel that all of those people had to be cursed to live forever as people mocked them. It just sounded awful.

"John?" said a voice. John looked up to see his younger brother Sean poking his head into the room. "Breakfast is ready."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." John replied, getting out of bed. Looking at the back of his left hand, he noticed a mark that looked similar to a black spider. He recalled that he had a black spider mark on his chest when he was about to be killed by London and Kendrick, but didn't understand its meaning. It disappeared in front of his eyes as the memories still continued to play.

"John?" said Sean, breaking his older brother out of the trance. "You have to eat before Dan and Matt eat everything else!"

"Right." said John, nodding his head. That's when he remembered something important...if yesterday was October 30th—his birthday—then today was All Hallow's Eve. "Oh great..." He muttered under his breath.

All Hallow's Eve meant that the citizens would be worshipping the Saints of the village: Saint Lillith and Saint Adam, the supposed 'founders' of the village of Asmodeus. John never liked the statues of the two—the two of them clasping their hands and looking as if they were praying to some unknown god. After the supposed ritual, the children were given sweets, and the teenagers would be off playing 'Spirit Sight' where they try and find spirits or play in the graveyard. After what had happened with the Dark Woods Asylum, it was certain that he'd rather be with the prisoners then worshipping pagan spirits.

John walked out of his bedroom, sitting himself down between Matt and Dan. Grabbing a slice of bread and cheese, he nibbled it down, letting his mind wander to the garden of hands...all of them representing the lost hopes and dreams of the inmates that wanted freedom, but in the end died of it....it made him feel sort of sad.

"Oh John," said Dan seeing his younger brother staring off into space. "You do know what day it is."

"I know." John replied, rolling his eyes. "Tell Mom and Dad I've got other things to do."

There was some silence as Steve—who was drinking a glass of goat's milk—suddenly did a spit take, and the white drink landed on the faces of his other brothers.

"WHAT?!" Steve yelled. "Are you crazy? You know how serious Mom and Dad are when it comes to the festival."

"You do remember that the Cena family is very important to the village." said Sean, wiping his face with a rag. "I mean, we're the ones who have to do the rituals and ask Lillith and Adam to continuing to bless the village."

"And since you turned 18, you are now fully a member of the Seraphims." Dan added, grabbing the rag from Sean's hands. "Your ceremony is tonight, you can't miss it!"

"Well, I have other plans." John replied, swallowing the last of his breakfast before wiping the milk away from his face. "And it's more important then asking those Satanics for help."

"Those guys are not demons, John." Sean exclaimed. "If it weren't for them, this city and all of us wouldn't even exist! So be thankful for that."

"Thankful or not, I have bad feelings about those two." John said as he stood up. "This whole story of how they saved us...it's so strange...like how snakes and spiders played out...I thought that the villagers of Asmodes hated those types of creatures, and yet our origins accept them...."

"It makes sense, John." said Steve. "Our ancestors had no choice...it was either accept them or die....and they accepted it, but the new generation don't understand about it...they don't understand that the monsters they fear were how they protectd us."

At the statement, John turned, seeing all four of his brothers' eyes looked just like snakes...each of them staring at him like he was a juicy mouse. He blinked and soon saw the eyes were back to normal.

"Right..." said the second oldest brother. "I'll be leaving now...."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 **

John sat on a stump near the Dark Woods Asylum, the decayed edifice looming in the distance. He was currently chewing on a piece of honeycomb that he had bought in the marketplace moments ago, letting the sweet syrup fall down his throat. Away from the village, he was trying to accept what was happening...eighteen years old, promised to help inmates in an abandoned asylum, and about to be accepted in some sort of ritual. The day Dan did it....

He recalled that day, two years ago. Dan was excited to go and figure out what was so important about the Seraphims, and what secrets were inside. John—sneaking away from his other brothers—followed him into the old Elstar Church. There, he saw through one of the glass stained windows a strange site....his brother surrounded by hooded figures, a scream, and then darkness. When John returned to the others, he tried to explain the story...but no one believed him. When he explained to his parents, they shrugged it off, although he noticed that they were acting a bit strange. When he got to his brother, Dan didn't recall a scream, and soon was back to his same old self.

Biting on the beeswax, John heard laughter from the asylum. Looking up, he saw Matt and Jeff tossing a golden ball to one another. It made him feel sad that those two were laughing and having fun, even though they had been mocked and ridiculed for fifty years, always the same age.....they could never grow up and have children...what about their parents? They would've been dead by now, and the two would never see them again.

More thoughts came to mind: Ashley could never find true love due to her disfigured form, Paul and Brian could never face the village due to their Siamese-like appearance, Gangrel would be forever chained because he was protecting his beloved wife, Adam and Christian had lost their minds living in that aslyum for hundreds of years...and for Randy...

An innocent five year old boy trapped within the confines of that mad house thinking he had an imaginary friend, when all he had was a demon living inside of him. The young boy's voice crying out for his mother to not leave him in the asylum...it hurt. Whoever was causing all of this madness had to be stopped....and John was going to do something about it.

"Hey!" John Cena looked to see Phil, Mike, Chris and John Morrison walk up to him. The four tried their hardest not to look up at the Asylum, but something felt as if they had no choice but to stare in awe.

"What's going on?" asked John. "I thought you'd want to stay far away from this place as possible."

"Is it true, though?" asked Chris. "Are you really going to decline to become a Seraphim?"

"Yeah." John answered back. "I don't feel as if they're doing anything right with this village."

"They're not doing anything....of course they are!" Mike snapped. "Who solved our food problem? They did! Who protected Kelly when people thought she was a witch? They did!"

"Who hasn't saved the inmates in the asylum? Those damn Seraphim haven't!" John said, interrupting his friend. "Look at them...."

The five saw Jeff fall onto the ground with a thud as Matt got down on his knees to help pick him up.

"Those inmates are still people. And every person wants freedom: from the slaves in Africa and India, all the way to here in our little village. Every day there's someone wishing for freedom, and every day there's someone who won't give it. If I could do something and help these people...then they could finally die in peace, instead of being frightened and confined to the grounds of the asylum."

"John...." said Morrison. "I understand, but what can someone like you do? Everyone's afraid of the inmates...and they hide that by making fun of them, because they're caged."

"Then I guess we're all fools to a bloody Dark Circus." Cena spat out.

He stood up as he ate the last of the honeycomb, remnants of the was falling onto the ground. Stomping on them with his feet he walked until he saw the gates of the asylum. He stopped, expecting to hear his friends to stop—or at least come up to him—but nothing was heard. Some friends they were.

He moved on, pushing the gates open and walked past Jeff and Matt playing ball once more. Jeff waved at John—Cena turning around and waved back—before stepping foot into the asylum once more.

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"What are you doing here?" asked Christian, seeing John walking up to them. After hearing tips from the other inmates, John found both Christian and Adam's cell on the top floor. Seeing it, John saw remnants of toys and books, probably from children who were taken into the asylum.

"I'm allowed to come here whenever I want." John replied. "I just...want to get away from the village."

"What for?" asked Adam with some sarcasm. "Because they wanted you to make fun of us?"

"It's not that." John replied. "It's just...no one gets what's going on. All of you are here wasting away and losing your sanity to the asylum, and I'm the only one who understands it. It's just unfair...you're all bound to the asylum, and if you leave you die! Are you just going to do nothing except sit in your cell..."

"You don't know anything!" Adam screamed, hands lunging at Cena. But thanks to the bars, it was impossible for Christian's hands to grab at John's neck. "You don't know how you had to live your life here wasting away just unable to do nothing while your friends and loved ones rot!"

"Wait..." said John. "Why are you two here in the first place? Besides the demon possed boy, the siamese kid, the cannibal and the centaur girl, you're pretty much normal."

"...Normal..." Adam hissed. "Oh, that's a nice thing to say, isn't it? Being 'normal'!"

"Adam," said Christian. "Calm down; you know what happens when you get angry."

"I don't give a damn!" Adam roared. "How dare he...how dare he treat us this way!"

He screamed as black leathery wings grew from his back and his skin became black like ebony. His eyes opened, and they were crimson. John stepped back as Adam started to grow a pointed tail, and when Adam's hands grasped onto the iron balls, they began to melt.

"What's going on?" asked John. "Why is Adam acting like this?"

"Like all of us, Adam hates it when someone says 'normal'." said Christian in reply. "And because we're one of the original inmates, we have...their blood."

"Their blood?" asked John.

"The blood of those wrteched people." Adam hissed. "It causes us to become these creatures."

"The blood of Adam and Eve you mean?" asked John. "What do they have to do with anything?"

"....everything." said Christian. "How old are you?"

"I turned eighteen today." said John.

"...then you're going to be chosen for that stupid society, huh?" asked Adam.

"I'm not." John answered back. "I have a bad feeling about this...a really bad feeling."

"Then what are you going to do?" asked Christian.

"I'm going to find a way to set you guys free." John answered back. "I know it sounds harsh for me to say that I'm going to find a way for you to die...but you guys have been tortured for so long that you deserve to sleep."

"That's a big offer." said Adam with some sarcasm. "The last person who did that got fed to Gangrel after he brought a knife to kill us with."

"No, it's not like that." said John. "I, John Felix Anthony Cena, solemnly swear to not stop searching until I can lay you all to peace. You two, the Hardys, Brian and Paul, Ashley, Gangrel, Randy...all of you have suffered...but you shouldn't suffer any longer. And if anyone in the village tries to stop me, I'll kill them."

"You would do that?" asked a voice. John turned, Randy staring at him. No, that wasn't Randy, it was Phylegyas the demon.

"Killing people to protect us could send you to hell once you leave this Earth." Phylegyas added. "And presently if you do such a thing, you will be exiled. Your friends and family shall chase you, you shall have no one to guide you...do you really want that sort of thing?"

"For the longest time, this village has kept that asylum up for years and left it to ruins." John answered back. "People have ridiculed all of the inmates for a long time, and all they wanted was peace. But as I learned last night, their peace came with a price. More than a hundred arms, more than a hundred inmates that died over the past two centuries. No more bloodshed, no more pain, no more of this ridicule and taunting...I'm going to put a stop to this!"

"And how are you?" asked Christian, some hope flickering in his eyes. "Everyone who has tried has failed..."

"There has to be something those 'Seraphim' are hiding." said John. "And tonight, I'm going to find out."

"Good luck." said Phylegyas. "You're going to need it."

"I know." said John. "And I really hope for the best."

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 **

Sunset. That was when all the kids were going out for treats and playing beneath the trees near the village. The ritual for Adam and Eve was done, and once again all was quiet. The autumn wind blew in, warning that winter would soon be on its way and everything had to be put away before the cold ruined the harvest.

John was currently getting 'ready' for the big ritual he was supposed to undertake. He was standing near the door of the Elstar Church, it had a small crack, enough for someone to see and hear what was going on inside. But as he was about to enter, he heard something. He soon got on his knees, placing an ear to the door.

"I'm getting suspicious about that son of yours." said a voice. It was deep, and menacing from the sound of it.

"What do you mean?" asked a voice. John's eyes widened; it was the voice of his father. "My son is a good boy."

"He's been marked by the asylum!" The menacing voice said in reply. "He's been tainted."

"But that's impossible!" John's father exclaimed. "There's no way that my son can be in league with those asylum scum!"

SCUM?! His own father thought those people were SCUM?! That made John's blood boil...he respected his father to be considerate and kind to the village...but to call the inmates scum...that was the final straw.

"So what are we going to do?" asked John's father. "If he spends more time with them...no, it can't happen! It has to be stopped."

John tried to lean closer, trying to hear what his father was saying...but he was soon lifted into the air by a giant hand.

"So, we caught us a little spy..." said a raspy voice. "This should be fun..."

John turned around, sweat pouring down his face when he saw one grey and one blue eye staring at him. Of all the people that had to catch him, it had to be Kane...

"Welcome, John Felix Anthony Cena." said Kane with a maniacal grin on his face. "Welcome to your new life."


	4. An Evening with the Spirits

_**Here it comes. The next chapter of the haunting asylum story...oh boy.**_

_**And now, it begins! And it shall start...now!**_

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**Journey into the Dark Woods**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 4-An Evening Amongst the Spirits**

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"Let me go!" John cried, thrashing and kicking and screaming as he was being pulled toward the altar. "I don't want to do this! This isn't right!"

"Shut up, brat!" Kane barked at him. "You'll be praising their names soon enough!"

"Those hypocrites? They're the ones who are locking up innocent people in that asylum! They've been trapped there for who knows how long and lost their sanity and all they want to do is..."

"SILENCE!" Boomed a voice. Soon, the church was a lit with the flickering glow of candles, illuminating the hooded druids surrounding the figure amongst the altar. The Undertaker...a man known for his haunting presence amongst the village despite looking as if he had never aged past 40. Known for being a speaker for the dead at funerals, and also for being the main messenger for both Adam and Eve, he was respected and feared by the town. Children teased each other to stare into the eyes of the Deadman for three seconds as dares, and even older teens would know not to cross his path. But seeing him...John felt shivers fall down his spine.

Kane tossed John onto the ground, before getting on one knee.

"He is here, my brother." He announced. "He is ready for the ceremony."

"Excellent..." Undertaker hissed. "And now, we shall begin..."

"Begin what?" John whimpered. "W-what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm going to show you the truth." said the Undertaker. "You are a disgrace to Adam and Eve and to our community!"

"I sort of realized that." John muttered under his breath. "What with the mark and all..."

"Silence!." was the reply. "You are cursed...playing and goofing off with those freaks. They tainted and brainwashed you...so tonight, we'll be having a cleansing ceremony!"

"W-what?" John whispered. "What's that?"

"Why not ask your friends?" asked the Undertaker, pointing to the Church doors. John turned around, seeing his best friends standing at the entrance way, their eyes glowing with shades of yellow.

"Mike? Phil? Johnny? Chris?" Cena gasped out. "W-what's wrong with your eyes?"

"It's a little trick that this night gives them." Kane replied with a smirk. "They've been our spies for quite some time. Ever since you were a little boy, something had been 'off' about you. And from what we heard about last night, it only proves our theories about you. Thanks for letting them go free."

"You guys are insane!" John exclaimed. "What's next?"

"...Your conversion into a Son of Adam." Undertaker replied, motioning to the hooded figures behind him. They removed their hoods, revealing the blank looks of the council...three of them being John's father, mother and older brother. Each of them staring at John, each of them telling him 'You're next.'

"I don't want to be a Son of Adam!" John cried. "I don't want to be some sort of monster that goes around convicting innocent people of their rights to live and hauls them off into an asylum forever and ever. I don't want to be that sort of person that has to be guilty of causing at least 108 people to die there...please don't..."

John was interrupted by Kane grasping onto his throat with a hand, squeezing all of the oxygen out of him. He gasped and sputtered, trying his hardest to say something, but it was all for naught.

"We are wasting precious time." said Undertaker. "It is time for the ceremony to begin."

Kane released his grip on john, the young teenager gasping for air with a hand near his throat. John looked around...the windows were boarded, the front door had his friends blocking it, and he was up against at least 13 to 1. There was no escape...

Or was there?

John winced as a memory came into his head. A figure finding a secret door behind the church and running through an underground cavern to the Dark Woods and ending up in the asylum. There, the figure climbed up the walls and hid inside the building, meeting up with some of the inmates who sheltered him. Then...there was nothing. But where did it come from?

_I have to get out of here..._ John said to himself, seeing Undertaker chanting in Latin, a dagger in hand. _And fast..._

Out of compulsion, John ran. He bolted toward one of the stained glass windows and jumped through it, his arms and legs cut by the jagged edges of the glass. Everyone stared in shock as John made his way to the back of the church.

Undertaker growled, clenching his fists deep enough so that his nails were drawing blood.

"AFTER HIM!" He roared.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

John ran, finding a simple well behind the church with a bucket tied to a rope to draw water. He turned around, seeing a hooded figure coming toward him, eyes glowing in the pale moonlight.

"Come back..." the figure hissed. "You belong to Adam and Eve."

"NEVER!" John screamed as he grasped onto the rope of the well and jumped down, descending deeper and deeper underground. With a small splash, he found himself knee deep in water. He winced a bit when the cold water was lapped amongst the cuts on his body, but he ignored it as he began to swim past the rushing water to the underground tunnel in his vision.

_But why did I even have that vision in the first place?_ John asked himself. _I don't recall doing such a thing like that...at least I think I don't recall doing such a thing like that. Either way, I have no other choice...there's something going on in this village, and I have to find out what._

John continued to swim, being glad that all the time he spent at the river paid off. He continued to push back the water until he found a rope ladder at the bottom of another well. Cena sighed in relief as he got out of the water and grasped onto the ladder, climbing up to see the moonlit sky.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0**

"Mattie..." Jeff whined, pointing to an apple tree on the other side of the asylum. "I wanna apple."

"I know you do." Matt replied, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "But...you know the rules. Even if our hand goes past the asylum walls, it becomes old. Even though we don't need to eat, we're dying."

"But I want one!" Jeff cried. "Remember? Every year before momma died, we'd get an apple dipped with honey and share it. But ever since that incident..."

"We all remember that 'incident'." Christian replied, sitting upon an old swing. "The incident that changed our lives...we may have lived in different time periods, but we all were taken for one reason or another. Adam and I went because our father was abusing us and the people running the asylum said they would protect us from him."

"Mattie and I had dreams of being performers, and some mean man made us this way." Jeff whimpered.

"I wanted to make myself beautiful so a certain man would love me." Ashley moaned, sitting amongst a patch of grass. "A strange man comes by and promises me to get the attention of everyone I met...and it happened. In fact, I burned my eyes out so I could never see myself ever again for my foolish intention."

"We never wanted to be apart." said Paul as he and Brian were resting against the wall of the asylum. "We were best friends, and when I was about to die, Brian ran to the forest to find a cure for me. Instead, someone gave him a potion and told him to make a wish and then split the potion between us."

"I wished that I would never be apart from my best friend." Brian continued. "We both drank the potion and fell asleep from how powerful it was. By morning...we became this...and our parents threw us out of the house for it."

"And we all know Gangrel's story." said Adam, motioning to the elder man who was staring at the night sky with curiosity. "Something inside him snapped when his wife died and so he ate her, immediately branding him as a cannibal. He's actually the most normal inmate out of all of us left...if one doesn't count for the fact that he's bound by chains and has that creepy smile on his face as if he's about to kill someone."

"Last is Randy." said Ashley, stretching her arm out to pet the young boy who was asleep in her lap. "All we know is that he's got a demon inside of him that wants to help us...but the poor boy just calls him his imaginary friend. His parents forced him in here and the kid has become a wreck. Tonight's one of those nights when he hasn't cried and screamed in his sleep."

Suddenly, an item fell on Brian's head.

"Ow!" He cried. "What the?"

Three more items flew overhead—one of them hitting Paul on the head—and rolled amongst the grass. They were apples. Paul picked one up and inspected it with his hand.

"These look like the ones growing from the tree on the other side of the wall." He murmured. "But who would do such a thing?"

"I would."

Everyone looked up to see John climb the vine of ivy and wave a hand toward them. He slid down the opposite side, landing in the tall grass.

"Did I hit anyone with the apples?" asked John. "Sorry...I was getting hungry."

"At least give us a warning before you throw fruit toward our heads." said Brian, rubbing the bump on his head.

Jeff stared at the apples with sadness, seeing John wiping one onto his shirt and then breathing onto it. He let out a whimper, similar to one of a puppy dog as John was about to bite into one of the red orbs.

"Please..." said Jeff. "Can I...have one?"

John paused and stared at the apple before turning to Jeff. He then smiled and lifted the apple as far as he could.

"Sure." John replied. "I have three more on me anyway."

"Thank you..." Jeff cried, tenderly taking the apple into his hand. "Thank you so much..."

Tears fell down the young boy's eyes as he took a bite out of the apple. With a loud crunch, Jeff began to eat his treat as if he had not eaten in hundreds of years.

"What are you doing here?" asked Christian with some anger. "I thought you had to become a Son of Adam."

"I was going to...but I ran and escape." John answered. "My friends betrayed me; apparently the council has them under their control and I was probably going to end up like them if it happened. They're insane...and they won't give me any answers as to why you guys are chained up in here...but it might have to do with a mysterious person, right?"

"You eavesdropped on us?" Matt exclaimed. "How could you?"

"How else am I going to help you? Clearly this mysterious person affected all of you one way or another, right? Well, maybe if we can find this person, we could figure out a way to save you from your fate."

"And what good will that do?" asked Ashley. "That man lived in Adam and Christian's time at least 200 years ago, and Randy came to us around 50 years ago. Do we even know if he's still alive?"

"If he lived throughout all your times and caused you to be this way, then he should be around. I'm going to find him...and make this tragedy end once and for all."

"That's great and all." Gangrel grunted. "But you're being hunted by the Council. No one is safe—from young Randy, to the orphans Christian and Adam and even me. We all got locked up here for one reason or another. We were all innocent before then...and years of insults, mistreatment, torture...we've all snapped. We're the unfortunate ones...anyone who has died are living peacefully and away from this crap."

"It's going to change." said John. "I swear, on my own name of John Felix Anthony Cena, I will free you. I know that means you'll die...but...but it's better than living in a town who's twisted and crazy!

"And, there's something wrong about me too. I recall going into the asylum when I was younger, but I don't recall seeing you here before. And that mark on my chest..."

He looked down, seeing the black spider mark appear.

"I don't know why, but this has to do with you, the mysterious man, my mark, and this whole Adam and Eve business. Something in Asmodes...is a secret...something so horrible that my family and friends are being brainwashed and controlled by it. That church must be in relation to all of it...no one ever goes to that church except the Seraphim...or people who are about to be Seraphim."

"Wait..." Christian announced suddenly. "I remember something..." The younger of the twins placed a hand on his forehead. "It's been so long, but now it's as clear as day..."

"What is it?" asked Adam.

"...Something about two figure sin the forest...we were picking berries...and we saw something. A murder...and then we ran back home and fell asleep. Then...nothing."

"Great..." Paul muttered sarcastically. "Aside from what Johnny boy gave us, we only have a murder. That's just nice..." He sighed and bowed his head. "We're never going to leave, aren't we?"

"At least we have something to go with." said Brian, piping up. "If this memory is before Christian and Adam entering the asylum, then it could be part of the solution in freeing us."

"See?" said John. "We have something in our favor; something that the Seraphim probably don't know."

"Speaking of the Seraphim, what kind of crappy story did they give the town?" asked Adam. "It's been a while since we've been there."

"It's said to be one past down from the first settlers of Asmodes. They were being attacked by demonic snakes and spiders...then they met up with these beings called Adam and Eve who destroyed them and poof! The village was born. Adam and Eve were said to be witches or at least some sort of evil supernatural being...but no one ever had the audacity to consider Adam and Eve's history. Then there were the rumor of their sons."

"What sons?" asked Ashley. "I never recall Adam and Eve having sons."

"That's why I said it was a rumor. Although, it may not be a rumor anymore once I get my hands on this."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Matt. "You're going to be caught by someone in the village and then...then you'll probably become one of us."

"Exactly."

Everyone stared at John as if he had grown an eye on his forehead.

"What did you say?" Adam gasped. "You _**want**_ to become a freak just like us?"

"I'm protected by this asylum, aren't I?" said John. "So whatever curse they plan to put on me, won't effect me."

"You do know that means you won't be eternal when you enter the facility." said Ashley, cradling Randy in her arms. "You'll still be mortal."

"So be it." John spat out. "I said this to Phylegyas and I'll say it again...I'm going to save you no matter what."

He stared at two of his apples and gave them to Matt.

"For your brother." he stated, noticing Jeff had finished devouring his apple while everyone was talking. "If you want, I'll sneak some honeycomb into the asylum next time I visit."

"You're a good friend, John Felix Anthony Cena." said Matt, taking the apples into his hands. "Thank you."

"...I have to get going." said John. "This will probably be the first place they'll look for me..."

"Good luck." said Gangrel. "We're all counting on you..."

"I know." John answered, climbing on the ivy vine once more, apple in hand. "I know..."

He shifted his body to go past the wall and landed on the ground. Taking one last look at the asylum, and seeing Jeff eat his second apple, John then walked off.

**0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
**

_A murder between two brothers...a mysterious man who warped everyone's wishes...a demon possessing a little boy and claiming to be his imaginary friend...a secret society that's keeping one heck of a secret...a mark that's blessed me..._

John ran these thoughts in his mind as he walked out of the woods and back into the village. Things weren't quiet...hooded figures were asking the villagers what was going on. There were the sounds of yelling, children screaming, and carts and other things being destroyed. It was all because of him...he was responsible for this.

"Oh man..." Cena whispered, eyes widening at the site of his village being destroyed. "No..."

Ignoring the consequences of him returning, John ran toward the village, using the darkness to camouflage himself from the Seraphim. He paused as he stood near the side of the house; his friends knew all of his usual hiding places...he had to think outside of the box.

Then, he remembered...the church. No one ever went into the church, except for the Seraphim. He remembered the route and, most likely, it was empty, what with the search and all.The teenager, turned his head, seeing if the coast was clear. It was. And he soon bolted for the church. Once in a while, he would hear threats and whispers and he immediately hid at the closest thing he could find.

"DAMN IT!" John heard Kane's voice roar (Cena hiding behind a fruit cart) . "Where is that kid?"

"He should be in one of his usual hiding spots." Undertaker remarked. "I sent his little friends out to find him and they should return in a while. That kid has something on him...he's not one of us."

"That kid's **_never_** been one of us." Kane corrected. "I sense it...he has none of their traits...could he be...?"

"Don't you dare mention that name." Undertaker growled. "We best find his friends...maybe one of them had seen him."

Kane grunted in agreement, the two walking off to the river. John saw them walk by, knowing that it would be the first place they would look. Then, it would just be a game of cat and mouse before those two realized that he was long gone.

John stayed in his hiding place before taking in a deep breath and standing up. He stared at his chest, seeing the spider mark glowing...then, he ran toward the church.

It was the only place right now that didn't want him killed, after all.


End file.
